After talking to many veteran journalists, most of them have said that one of the most important things to keep in mind before becoming a journalist is to start having a thick skin soon rather than later.
Unfortunately, being a journalist is one of the most demanding writing jobs out there as there are several forces working against many professional journalists that include endless long hours and rejection that often makes one feel unappreciated for the work. And these are just the surface issues.
However, just like how every problem has a solution, so do the ones that come with being a journalist. So here are a few common problems faced by journalists and the best way to tackle them so that it is easier to deal with the burdens that come with the job.
Social Media Optimization
Ever since smartphones have come into existence, there has been a drastic change in the way people tend to consume news. With time, more and more people are beginning to opt for online news sources rather than TV or newspaper prints.
In order to keep up with this trend, it is crucial for journalists to optimize their news for social channels. If they want to have that competitive edge, then they will need to take advantage of the social channels to effectively make use of their global reach to spread their news.
Keywords Are Literally The Key
You might think that adding hashtags and specific words to your written pieces is such a small effort when in reality, it can play such a huge role that will significantly pay off in the long run. Using catchy words that people will be interested in can help people quickly find your content on the internet.
However, you need to be careful that you do not go overboard with the words because some words can have major side effects if you are not carefully making use of them. For example, using ‘tsunami’ as a keyword is too common and will quickly get buried among other keywords. On the other hand, if you go for something specific like #tsunaminearjapan, it sounds too specific and might not be used. Go for a balance like #japantsunami which can be used by a lot of people.
Learning From Examples
The field of journalism is often unpredictable and unrewarding at times. There are many occasions where people do not appreciate the work you do, and that can be a tough hurdle to go past from.
Hence, it can really help to seek out help from professionals in the field – in this case, that would be none other than Michael Owhoko, a highly acclaimed Nigerian journalist, media, and public relations practitioner.
Ever since he started working as a staff reporter for the weekly newspaper, The Metropolitan, he has been honing his skills and eventually made his way up the work ladder and took on many valuable roles such as being an Energy Editor for the Daily Times of Nigeria and being the Public Relations Manager and spokesperson for the Owel-Linkso Group.
Moreover, his work has been acknowledged by people worldwide; he was invited by the Managing Director of Gaslink Nigeria Limited to join their company as the Head of Public Relations Department and was even sponsored by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group as a delegate. He has written five books and is currently working on the sixth one while simultaneously being an inspiration to many aspiring journalists worldwide who wish to follow in his footsteps.
